'Windows No. 7' by Michelle Driver

2019, hand woven tapestry (wool, cotton, linen, x-ray film)

I have based the ‘Windows’ series on x-rays from various sources. They invite the viewer to peer into the very core of what makes up our identity. It shows us from the absolute inner-core of our being – something that we cannot fake, airbrush or Photoshop. It is a ‘secret portrait’, laying bare all that is true within us. The medium of hand woven tapestry further imbues the work with a sense of humanity through the many hours of tactile, hands-on work required to render these pieces.

For ‘Windows No. 7’, I experimented with using pieces of x-ray film to make up parts of the image. The effect is textural and multi-layered, and looks best with sunlight filtering through the x-rays.